Fully automatic machine for the working of sole edges on crude soles



Aug. 20, 1968 HANS-OTTO KELLER 3,397,415

FULLY AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR THE WORKING OF SOLE EDGES ON CRUDE SOLES Filed April 6, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. I

y )[wemarr wig Aug. 20, 1968 HANS'OTTO KELLER 3,397,415

FULLY AUTOMATIC HINE FOR THE WORKING OF SOLE ED ON CRUDE SOLES Filed April 6, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 20, 1968 HANS-OTTO KELLER 3,397,415

FULLY AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR THE WORKING OF SOLE EDGES ON CRUDE SOLES Filed April 6, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 cilw Aug. 20, 1968 HANS-OTTO KELLER 3,397,415

FULLY AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR THE WORKING OF SOLE EDGES ON CRUDE SOLES 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 6, 1965 a I I 1968 HANS-OTTO KELLER 3,397,415

FULLY AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR THE WORKING OF SOLE EDGES ON CRUDE SOLES Filed April 6, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 lure/liar? "l'lauwaah ybwm g- 1968 HANS'OTTO KELLER 3,397,415

FULLY AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR THE WORKING OF SOLE EDGES ON CRUDE SOLES 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed April 6, 1965 United States Patent 3,397,415 FULLY AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR THE WORK- ING 0F SOLE EDGES 0N CRUDE SOLES Hans-Otto Keller, Frankfurt am Main, Griesheim, Germany, assignor to Maschinenfabrik Moenus A.G., Frankfurt am Main, Germany, a firm Filed Apr. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 445,918 Claims priority, application Germany, Dec. 19, 1964, M 63,568 24 Claims. (Cl. 1286.65)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A base having a reciprocable slide therein provided with a circular opening in which an annular ring member is mounted which is rotatable about a center eccentric to the opening, an eccentric disk in the opening rotatable about the same center as the member, the shoe sole blank being fixedly mounted in the base below the slide with its longitudinal axis parallel with the axis of movement of the slide, a rotatable milling cutter carried by said ring member on an arm yielda-bly urged to engage the cutter with the edge of the sole, a control lever pivoted on the slide having one end engaging the edge of the eccentric disk and the other end journaled on the base, whereby the constantly enlarging radius of the eccentric disk will move the slide accordingly, means being provided for changing the effective length of the control lever to adjust the stroke of the slide according to the length of the sole, the cutter being continuously and automatically guided in an orbital and closed-ellipsoidal path around the sole compounded from its circular motion around the sole, the rotary motion of the ring, and the longitudinal motion of the ring.

Description of invention This invention is a novel method and apparatus for working or finishing sole edges. Heretofore, in the working of sole edges, for example when using milling cutters and similar machines, it has been customary to mount the miling cutter in a stationary manner and to guide the sole to be worked around the cutter. When this is done by hand this method of working requires great skill, and the work proceeds very slowly. In the case where automatic guiding of the sole is used a complicated mechanism is needed, whereby a uniform working will result or be obtained at all points of the sole periphery.

The principal object of my present invention is to provide a new'appa-ratus which avoids the previous disadvantages of edge working in that the sole is no longer as hitherto guided along the tool but is worked in transit and the tool automatically moved around the periphery of the sole, and also in the case of differently shaped soles is adapted to the periphery of the same. The sole in this instance lies on a support on which it is held fast against a depressor while the milling tool positioned on a resilient lever arm moves along a curve dependent on the shape of the sole. The path of motion is composed of the rotary motion of a driven ring located on a slide and serving as a support which controls the movement of the lever carrying the tool, and a longitudinal movement of the slide caused by an eccentric disk connected with the driven ring and rotating about the same fulcrum which is controlled by a lever hinged on the slide corresponding to the length of the sole to be worked.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel machine. According to the invention the novel machine consists essentially of the special arrangement of the above mentioned slide guided in a frame in the machine on which the rotatable ring connected with the eccentric disk 3,397,415 Patented Aug. 20, 1968 ice and supporting the tool together with its driving means is arranged in such a way that, with the cooperation of a control lever and/ or a pressure medium such as oil, compressed air or the like, the tool with a combination rotary and linear motion is passed around the edge of the sole running through the machine and works the latter automatically independently of the length and shape of the sole.

Preferably the machine is composed of two casing parts which are superposed and constructed in such a way that the working parts are located in the upper casing part, and the control and feed parts, however, are located in the lower casing part. Between the two parts is arranged a frame in which the slide moves, on which slide the tool and the ring connected with the eccentric disk and carrying the driving means is arranged in an opening thereof so that the latter can turn about its center while the slide is moved along in the frame. The soles to be worked are individually fed to the operating parts from a stacking arrangernent mounted in front, for example, of the casing while at the same time the sole finished at the time is ejected from the machine. For holding the sole firm there is used a depressor actuated by a pressure medium, prefera'bly compressed air, while the milling cutter working the sole, moved around the latter, is pressed by means of a piston operated by compressed air, a spring or otherwise against the edge of the sole. A displacement of the sole in being fed-in is prevented by a guiding device provided with elastic rollers which centers the sole while it is being fed-in.

More specifically, my invention comprises a method of edge Working a shoe sole or the like, comprising the steps of securing a sole blank on a fixed support; continuously and automatically guiding a rotating milling cutter eccentrically mounted on a driven rotatable ring, which is movable axially of the sole blank, around the periphery of the blank along an orbital path dependent on the length of the sole; and then removing the sole from the support.

My invention also consists of a machine for edge working a shoe sole or the like, comprising a base, a reciprocable slide guided therein, said slide having a circular opening therein; an annular ring-shaped member in said opening rotatable about a center which is eccentric to the opening; an eccentric disk in said opening in which the member is mounted and which is rotatable about the same center as the member; means for rotating said disk and member; means for fixedly mounting a shoe sole blank in the frame below the slide with its longitudinal axis parallel with the longitudinal axis of the slide; an arm pivoted adjacent the edge of the member; a shaft journaled in the arm; a milling cutter on said shaft; means for urging the arm to maintain the cutter in engagement with the edge of the sole; means for rotating the shaft; a control lever pivoted on the slide; a roller on one end of the lever engaging the edge of the eccentric disk, the other end of the lever being journaled on the frame whereby the constantly enlarging radius of the eccentric disk will push the roller and move the slide accordingly; and means for changing the effective length of the control lever to adjust the stroke of the slide in accordance with the length of the sole; whereby the cutter will be continuously and automatically guided in an orbital closedellipsoidal path around the sole regardless of its shape and size compounded from its circular motion around the sole, the rotary motion of the ring, and the longitudinal motion of the ring.

For the sake of a better understanding, FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings show schematically the process, while the other FIGS. 6-9 show one embodiment of the machine for carrying out the process.

I will explain the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate several practical 3 embodiments thereof to enable others familiar with the art to adopt and use the same, and will summarize in the claims the novel features of construction, and novel combination of parts, for which protection is desired.

In said drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of the tool motion by way of an example.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show schematically the working of a short and a long sole, respectively.

FIG. 4 shows a vertical longitudinal section through another embodiment of the novel machine designed for carrying out the new process with a slide drive provided on the right side.

FIG. 5 shows a plan view of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6, 6a, 7, 8 and 9 shOW details of operating devices of the machine on a larger scale.

The machine according to the invention, schematically shown in FIG. 1, is a sole edge milling machine or a milling cutter for working the sole blanks fed thereto from the stack which consists of a frame 2 attached to the machine as a guide for a slide 4 which can move from the forward fully extended position shown in full lines to the rear retracted position 4 indicated by dotted lines and back. In the slide 4 is an opening 5 and thereon an externally toothed bevel wheel 12; therebelow is an eccentric disk rotating about the same center of rotation 6 with the bevel wheel 12. This disk is congruent with the bevel wheel on the center line of the sole, in the position illustrated in the drawing. The motor 14, drives via pinion 16 and intermediate gear wheel 18, the bevel wheel 12 and, at the same time, the eccentric disk 10 connected therewith.

At the inner edge of the crown bevel wheel 12, there is located a pin 20 on which is hinged the lever 24 carrying a milling cutter 22 on a vertical shaft 23. A spring 26 keeps the cutter in engagement with the sole 30 (FIG. 1). Under the influence of the rotating crown bevel wheel 12, the cutter 22 runs through the positions designated in FIGS. 2 and 3 by 1 to 16 and of course all intermediate positions in doing which the lever 24 and its end passes through the corresponding points 1' to 16' of the curved track 32. At the joint or at the neck of the sole the depresser is lifted, a pressure plate placed underneath the same is withdrawn and the. finished sole is ejected by the ejector element 10b.

Simultaneously with the crown bevel wheel 12 there also turns the eccentric 10 (FIG. 1) and by its constantly enlarging radius pushes the roller 40 of the control lever 44 hinged by the pin 42 on the slide 4 outward into position 40 in doing which the slide is correspondingly coactuated. At the free end of the control lever 44 is a slot 46 in which a pin 48 shiftable in the machine frame can be adjusted to the length of the sole'30, for example, the length of a childs shoe A-B or a larger size A-C.

In working with soles provided with a sole neck 50' (FIG. 3) the cutter is disconnected or lifted up between the positions 7 and 8 and passed inactively around the neck of the sole until it arrives again approximately in the position between 10 and 11 in contact with the main part of the sole 30 where it is connected again or brought up to the sole. The engagement and disengagement or lifting up and approaching is preferably effected automatically in any manner.

Soles with comparatively round tips can be worked directly in the manner described above, only in the case of extremely pronounced pointed, fashionable tips there are certain difficulties in adjusting the cutter to the proper path at the tip. This is accomplished by the fact that above the tip of the sole on the depressor a template isthre-adedly provided along which the cutter frame is guided, so that the cutter can work on even the most extreme models of pointed-tip soles.

In order to obtain a satisfactory transition between the beginning and the end of the cutting, an overlapping operation is provided at the starting point controlled by a time relay at the end of which the cutter is lifted away from the workpiece and by reversal to counter-run is returned to its original initial position.

Whereas FIG. 1 shows a machine with gear drive via intermediate gear 18, FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate schematically the positions of the tool. FIGS. 4-9 show another embodiment of the tool, and the entire machine in a second embodiment, by way of example.

The housing of this machine consists of two parts, the lower part 1 and the upper part 1a. In the upper part of the housing are the working parts of the machine, and in the lower part the conveying and control parts are housed. The frame 2 is arranged in the upper part 1a of the housing in'su-ch a way that the slide 4 guided in the same can be shifted from the forward left hand position (FIG. 1) to the rear right hand position 4' (FIG. 1). In the slide 4 is provided a round opening 5 at the border of which is located the crown bevel wheel 12 surrounding the opening which can turn about its center 6 and is driven by the motor 14 and its miter gear 13, by way of the chain drive 45 according to FIG. 5.

In front of the machine on a base plate 52 is located a stacking arrangement 54 for the soles to be worked, which consists of two pairs of feelers 58 and 60 arranged between columns 56, which feelers 58 are connected with clamping screws 62, and whereby according to the size vof the soles the columns 56 can be shifted in the slots 64. The arms 60 are preferably rigid as they serve for the internal limiting of the soles.

The stacking arrangement 54 is so constructed that whenever one of the soles to be worked is to be pushed into the machine the already finished sole is simultaneously ejected. For this purpose the following arrangement is conceived: In the lower housing 1 is the compressor 66 provided for the operation of the machine which is driven by the motor 68. From the compressor runs a compressed air line 70, indicated schematically, extending through the valve 72 back of the piston 76 located in a cylinder 74 which is driven from the forward position of FIG. 4 to its rear position 76. To the piston is attached the piston rod 78 which at its outer end carries a traverse 80 at the end-s of which are located two slides 82 and 84 (FIG. 5). The slide 82 is constructed as a gripper and in the forward movement of the piston pushes the sole undermost at the time in a manner known per se into the working position, in which it is worked by the milling cutter 22, the grinding disk or other tool at the edge, while the slide 84 actuates the ejector, shown in FIG. 8 as an example, which ejects the sole just finished. For the return of the piston there is provided a compressed air line 70.

The pushing in of the sole is effected by passing same underneath a guide body 86 provided with rollers 88 such as is shown by way of example in FIG. 6a in cross section and also in FIG. 6 in top view. The rollers 88 are provided in the middle of the body with short axial shanks 90 which are flexibly pressed, by leaf springs 92 onto the table 98 so that a lateral displacement of the soles with respect to the longitudinal axis of the sole is prevented. The soles are pushed forward until under the stationary depressor 94 (FIG. 4), where they are pressed from below by a pressure plate 99 reposing at rest in a recess 96 of the supporting plate 98 which is attached to the piston 102 fed with compressed air through the valve 100.

The ejection of the completely worked sole is effected simultaneously with the just described introduction of a new sole and that likewise by means of the piston rod 78 attached to the piston 76 by means of the slide 84 in the following manner: At the free end of the slide 84 is an ejector 106 (FIGS. 8 and 9) consisting of fishplates 104 of parallelogram-like shape, the fishplates of which are normally kept out of engagement with the sole by a traction spring 108. The lower fishplate is provided with a short angle arm 104', which in its at-rest position lies opposite the piston 110 under pressure of compressed air. The two fishplates 104 are connected by a longer finger 112 serving as the ejector element. Before the slide 84 is moved toward the machine, the piston 110 is released. The latter presses against the angle arm and thereby effects the pivoting to the ejection movement of the long fishplate 112 which ejects, before the next sole is inserted, the finished sole out of the path of the working tool onto a discharge chute.

The working tool, for example a milling cutter 22, is attached at the lower end of a vertically mounted cutter spindle 23 (FIG. 4) which is driven by the motor 25. In consequence of the somewhat contricted spatial condition at this point the slip-ring contacts 114 of the motor can be placed in a cap 116 above the depressor 94 or elsewhere. The control of the cutter spindle is effected, in the embodiment of FIG. 7, by compressed air fed in through pipe 118 and the valve 120 which forces the cutter onto the edge of the sole, against the spring tension, by means of the piston provided in cylinder 119.

In place of the control of the slide 4 described in the first example, FIG. 1, by the roller 40 and the pin 48 effecting the control corresponding to the sole length, outside of the machine frame this is accomplished according to the example of FIG. 5 by shifting the slot 46' to about the middle of the control lever 44 about the adjusting pin 42. The free end of the lever is for this purpose fixedly linked to the pivot 124 provided in the bearing 122.

For the purpose of better accessibility to the working units of the machine the two housing halves 1 and 1a are hingedly connected with one another by hinges 126. Of course the invention is not limited to the working of sole edges by means of a mechanically working tool, but even other tools are possible, for example for the application of paint, cement or other chemical substances pertinent.

I claim:

1. A machine for edge working a shoe sole or the like, comprising a base, a reciprocable slide guided therein, said slide having a circular opening therein; a member in said opening rotatable about a center which is eccentric to the opening; an eccentric disk covering said opening in which the member is mounted and which is rotatable about the same center as the member; means for rotating said disk and member; means for fixedly mounting a shoe sole blank in the frame below the slide with its longitudinal axis parallel with the longitudinal axis of the slide; an arm pivoted adjacent the edge of the member; a shaft journaled in the arm; a, milling center on said shaft; means for urging the arm to maintain the cutter in engagement with the edge of the sole; means for rotating the shaft; a control lever pivoted on the slide; a roller on one end of the lever engaging the edge of the eccentric disk, the other end of the lever being journaled on the frame whereby the constantly enlarging radius of the eccentric disk will push the roller and move the slide accordingly; and means for changing the effective length of the control lever to adjust the stroke of the slide in accordance with the length of the sole; whereby the cutter will be continuously and automatically guided in an orbital closedellipsoidal path around the sole regardless of its shape and size compounded from its circular motion around the sole, the rotary motion of the ring, and the longitudinal motion of the ring.

2. 'In combination with a machine as set forth in claim 1, an over-run controlled by a time-relay for lifting the cutter away from the sole and returning same to its initial position to obtain a smooth transition between the beginning and ending of each orbital stroke.

3. In a machine as set forth in claim 1, said base having upper and lower compartments separated by an intermediary plate, the upper compartment housing the associated parts for working the sole, the intermediary plate supporting the slide, and the lower compartment housing the contorl and feeding parts; a stacking arrangement at the front of the frame aligned with the intermediary frame for the reception of soles to be worked; and means for simultaneously feeding a sole from said stack into working position and for simultaneously discharging a finished sole from said position.

4. In a machine as set forth in claim 3, said fixedly mounting means comprising a vertical depressor plate in fixed position in the upper compartment for holding the sole in working position on the intermediary plate; means in the lower compartment for clamping and releasing the said sole; a presser plate cooperating with the depressor plate and disposed in a recess in the intermediary plate below the depressor plate and supporting the sole to be worked; and means in the lower compartment for raising the presser plate into sole clamping position and for lowering the presser plate to permit discharge of the finished sole.

5. In a machine as set forth in claim 4, said means for raising and lowering the presser plate comprising a piston on which the presser plate is mounted; a cylinder for said piston; and means for activating the cylinder simultaneously with the feeding and discharge of the sole.

6. In a machine as set forth in claim 3, said stacking arrangement comprising a plate; a pair of stationary clamps on said plate adapted to engage the heel portions of the stack of soles; a second pair of clamps on said plate to engage the toe portions of the stack of soles, said second pair being adjustable to conform with the length and size of the soles; and means for intermittently advancing the lowermost sole in the stack into working position.

7. In a machine as set forth in claim 6, said means comprising a piston housed in a cylinder mounted on the intermediary plate; a piston rod carried by said piston; a slide reciprocable on said stacking arrangement plate connected with said piston rod; 2. gripper member on said slide adapted when the slide is actuated in one direction to seize the lowermost sole in the stack and push same into working position; a second slide reciprocable on the stacking arrangement plate connected with the piston rod adapted to actuate an ejector for the finished sole; and means in the lower compartment for actuating the said piston.

8. In a machine as set forth in claim 7, said ejector comprising a parallelogram-like arrangement of fishplates which are normally yieldably retracted; a finger carried by the fishplates serving as an ejector element, said second slide engaging the fishplates when projected in one direction and shifting the finger into sole ejecting position out of the path of the cutter simultaneously with the feeding of a sole into working position.

9. In combination with a machine as set forth in claim 4, means for feeding the soles from the stacking arrangement in a straight line between the depressor and the presser plate, comprising a guide body; rollers having short axial shanks housed in recesses in the body; and leaf springs covering the said shanks.

10. A fully automatic machine for working the sole edges and the like of crude soles by means of a tool operable at the circumference of the sole, comprising a slide guided in the machine, a member on said slide carrying an eccentric disk, the member carrying the tool and drive means therefor, and rotating about its center, said eccentric disk partaking in the rotation of the member and reciprocating the slide through the intermediary action of a control lever linked to the slide and adjustable in a sliding block and by means of a roller provided at the free end of the control lever from a starting position into the final position and back again, in such a manner that the tool under pressure is placed against the sole to be worked and is guided around the edge of the sole on account of its combined circular and linear motion.

11. Sole edge working machine according to claim 10 in which the machine is formed of a housing separated by an intermediate plate and consisting of an upper and a lower portion, the operating parts in contact with the workpieces being located in the upper portion and the conveying and control elements being located in the lower portion, and a base plate mounted to the front of the machine for receiving a stacking device for the soles to be worked, as well as a device for simultaneously feeding the soles and for ejecting the finished soles.

12. Sole edge working machine according to claim 11 in which the soles are continuously automatically fed into the operating range of the machine from a stack and are maintained in the operating range againsta depressor and are machined by the tool automatically guided about the sole, along the circumference thereof, likewise in an automatic manner.

13. Sole edge working machine according to claim in which the operating motion of the tool along the edge of the sole is composed of a circular motion and a linear motion controlled in accordance with the length of the sole by simultaneous rotational and longitudinal displacement of the tool and the tool support.

14. Sole edge working machine according to claim 13 in which the center around which the rotating motion of the tool support is executed is displaced between the terminal points of its linear motion substantially in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the sole to be worked.

15. Sole edge working machine according to claim 20 in which the control of the combined rotating and. linear motions of the tool support by the sole edge is conducted in a manner that the path of the tool support forms in its movement around the shoe sole for all sole sizes and shapes a closed oval.

16. Sole edge working machine according to claim 15 in which the drive means for the rotating motion and for operating motion of the tool partake in the linear motion of the tool support.

17. Sole edge working machine according to claim 16 in which, for attaining a satisfactory transition, an overrun, preferably controlled by a time relay, is provided at whose end the tool is lifted off and returned to its original initial position.

18. Sole edge working machine according to claim 17 in which is provided a depressor for the soles fed to the operating tools from the stacking device, which depressor retains the respectively fed sole during working thereon in cooperation with a pressure plate, which pressure plate is normally provided within an intermediate plate emerged therein but which can be lifted and lowered, the pressure plate being automatically lifted and, after the sole edge has been worked, is again lowered in order to liberate the sole.

19. Sole edge working machine according to claim 18 in which a stacking device is provided with means moving simultaneously and in the same direction, slides connected with a piston rod, said means introducing the soles to be worked into the machine and at the same time ejecting the already finished sole.

20. Sole edge working machine according to claim 19 in which the stacking device has two stationary feelers for limiting the heel ends, and two adjustable feelers for adjustment in correspondence with the sole sizes to be worked; and that the feeding of the respectively lowermost sole is carried out by a piston whose rod is provided with a gripper for engaging the sole and a pusher for the simultaneous ejection of the finished sole.

21. Sole edge working machine according to claim 18, in which the pressure plate is provided on a piston which can be vertically reciprocated, this piston sliding below the intermediate plate in a cylinder passing through this plate and receiving its pressure medium through a valve controlled in the rhythm of sole feeding and ejecting.

22. Sole edge working machine according to claim 21, in which, at the annular plate, a bearing is provided for the tool spindle and its drive motor, this motor driving the spindle mounted in an arm under the tension of a pressure medium, by means of a belt or the like, in such a manner that the tool can operate on the edge of the sole retained between the depressor and the pressure plate at any point thereof.

23. Sole edge working machine according to claim 19, in which the slide attached to the piston rod is provided with a piston which upon backward movement of the piston rod actuates an ejector consisting of parallelogram-like fishplates and an ejector element normally being maintained out of engagement with the sole by means of a spring, simultaneously with the introduction of a new sole in such a manner that the ejector engages the sole and ejects same from the machine.

24. Sole edge working machine according to claim 23, in which, for inserting the soles between the depressor and the pressure plate in a straight manner, a guide body having spring-tensioned rollers is provided after the stacking device.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,948,906 \8/l960 Pulsifer 12--87 3,110,916 11/1963 Fladeland et a1 12l46 1,144,429 6/1915 Patten 1286.6 2,721,989 10/1955 Gates et a1 12--86.6 X 3,333,287 '8/1967 Bruggi 1286.65

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

